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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization won’t give Georgia and Ukraine a road map to membership at a meeting later this year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday.[…]Mrs. Merkel’s rejection of a NATO track for Georgia and Ukraine, at a news conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in St. Petersburg, would effectively act as a veto. The Western military alliance operates by consensus. [Link]

The result is predictable:

Meanwhile, Kiev took a step away from the West and closer to Moscow, as Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced gas deals with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and voiced support for Russian accession to the World Trade Organization. [link].

If the west doesn’t want to bring the Ukraine (and Georgia) into the EuroCore, they will go elsewhere.

This is a dumb move by the EuroCore (the latest in a long line). It is still in the European leaders blood to appease aggression and act on fear of any risk (higher oil/gas prices).

Putin’s Russia depends upon Europe buying oil/gas just as much as Europe depends upon Russia selling it. To avoide any risk though, the EuroCore is willing to signal to the Ukraine and Georgia that they are not really wanted in the “proper” Europe.

The Russian leadership is proving to be quite good at the influence warfare game. That is not surprising considering their shared background.

“European governments are not able any more to ask their people for great sacrifices.”

First Thought: Were are my counter-part 5GW Euro-bloggers?

Second Thought: Hmmm…I wonder if they think the same about the US?

BTW, the author is quoting Kissinger:

The real difference, Mr. Kissinger interjected, lay in “what government[s] can ask of their people.” It is because “European governments are not able any more to ask their people for great sacrifices,” he argued, that they have so readily opted for a “soft power” approach to so many foreign policy issues. This will, of necessity, make it harder for Europe to reach a consensus with the U.S.

The country is culturally and politically split (separate parties for the different language groups) and economically different as well with the “capitalistic” Flemings being better of then the “welfare” Walloons.

I don’t think this is a coincidence. The capitalistic nature of Flemings is what leads to their economic advantage.

If they split in two it should be no big deal. Each new country can sign on to the EU as a successor state.

I am a US Citizen living in Milwaukee WI. I have interests in IT, information security, CyberWar, national security, fifth generation warfare (5GW), history, public policy, entrepreneurship, economics, pop culture and the future.